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An apparatus configured to support various surgical instruments is
disclosed. The apparatus may include numerous chambers that may be used
to separate different instruments. The chambers may have grooves that are
used to support the instruments, and the height of the apparatus from the
supporting surface may be comparable to the measurements of the
instruments to provide a securing surface.

1. An apparatus configured to support a plurality of surgical
instruments, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of concave chambers
comprising a plurality of supporting grooves, and wherein a first low
point of the concave chambers is lower than a second low point of the
concave chambers.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first low point is on a front
side of the apparatus and the second low point is on a rear side of the
apparatus.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the number of grooves per chamber is
two.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a distance of the first low point
measured from a bottom of the apparatus is approximately 1/2 inch and a
distance of the second low point measured from the bottom of the
apparatus is approximately 1 inch.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is entirely one
material.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a suture tie rack
configured with a plurality of suture tie holders.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to an apparatus configured to support
various surgical instruments during a surgical operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Medical surgeries have always been performed in an operating room
("OR"). The protocol for preparing a surgeon and his or her surgical team
requires the utmost care and diligence to avoid infection to the patient.
Conventionally, surgical instruments, such as, clamps, retractors,
forceps, suture ties, containers, and towels, are all sterile and
carefully introduced onto the sterile field of the OR.

[0003] Historically, the items that may be brought into an OR are limited
by the slowly changing field of surgery in general. Over time, the
surgical instruments have evolved to include various different shapes and
materials, however, for the majority of surgical items, very little has
changed over the years. One such item that is used frequently in almost
all surgical procedures and setups is the lint free towel. Such towels
must be lint free so as to avoid introducing towel fibers into the
patient's body which may be exposed and vulnerable during a surgical
procedure, increasing the likelihood of infection.

[0004] The lint free towels are made of a material which does not roll-off
lint as a result of being used to soak fluids or wipe hands. In addition,
the lint free towels are sterilized and are ready for surgery when
delivered. The lint free towels are used in abundance and may be one of
the most commonly used items in the OR. For example, in any given OR,
there may be lint-free towels setup for the surgeon to wipe his or her
hands, and there may be lint free towels on the floor to collect fluids
which may have fallen off the operating table. In addition, there may be
lint free towels on the mayo stand providing a cushion and a barrier over
an impervious cover drape for the mayo stand. Lint free towels provide an
artificial mold used to organize the many surgical instruments which will
be used during a surgical operation.

[0005] One example of a conventional OR setup may include two or more
towels draped across the mayo stand to create a lip used to expose suture
ties placed under the lip of the towel, which may be labeled by a
surgical technician. Additional towels may be bunched together to create
grooves used to separate the many numerous surgical instruments, as
illustrated in FIG. 1. Towels each cost several dollars and have been
adding unnecessary expenses to the hospital, patient and insurance
companies for years, especially when they are used in ways that a simpler
and more affordable device would provide a faster and more effective
alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] An example embodiment of the present invention may include an
apparatus configured to support a plurality of surgical instruments. The
apparatus may include a plurality of concave chambers, which include a
plurality of supporting grooves. The apparatus may also include a first
low point of the concave chambers that is lower than a second low point
of the concave chambers with respect to the resting surface of the
apparatus.

[0008] FIG. 2A illustrates an example bracket used to hold surgical
instruments, according to example embodiments of the present invention.

[0009] FIGS. 2B and 2C illustrate front and rear views of the individual
chambers within a bracket.

[0010] FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a sideways perspective of a chamber.

[0011] FIG. 4 illustrates the example bracket of FIG. 2A in use with
surgical instruments being held, according to example embodiments of the
present invention.

[0012] FIG. 5 illustrates another example embodiment used to hold suture
ties in addition to the bracket.

[0013] FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate examples of the height of the surgical
instrument and a low point of the bracket chamber at the position it is
laid across the bracket.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] It will be readily understood that the components of the present
invention, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein,
may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different
configurations. Thus, the following detailed description of the
embodiments of an apparatus, as represented in the attached figures, is
not intended to limit the scope of the invention as claimed, but is
merely representative of selected embodiments of the invention.

[0015] The features, structures, or characteristics of the invention
described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable
manner in one or more embodiments. For example, the usage of the phrases
"example embodiments", "some embodiments", or other similar language,
throughout this specification refers to the fact that a particular
feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the
embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present
invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases "example embodiments", "in
some embodiments", "in other embodiments", or other similar language,
throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same
group of embodiments, and the described features, structures, or
characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more
embodiments.

[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates conventional uses of a lint free surgical towel.
Referring to FIG. 1, a first towel 10A is illustrated as having been
bunched together by a surgical technician in an effort to provide grooves
which may hold surgical instruments 20 upright or semi-upright and may
separate the different types of instruments for easy access by the
technician. Such a configuration requires time and effort to make the
instruments stay in place. The extra towel is also used as a prop and not
for its intended purpose, which is to soak fluids or provide a barrier to
reduce the likelihood of contamination. The towel in this illustration
may be on top of a mayo stand.

[0017] The lower part of FIG. 1 illustrates another towel 10B being used
to create a lip and/or passage for suture ties 30 to be laid onto the
mayo stand. Also, an additional towel (not shown) may be laid across the
towel 10B to create a first layer that the lip may be formed over. None
of these towels 10A and/or 10B are being used to soak fluid, and may
therefore be replaced by other materials and/or devices to save time and
costs associated with a surgical procedure.

[0018] FIG. 2A illustrates an example holding bracket, according to
example embodiments of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2A, a
bracket 201 includes five chambers 202, which may further include any
number of grooves 204, and which may further include spacers 203. The
number of chambers 202 per bracket 201 may range from two to twelve or
more depending on the preference of the OR personnel and/or the surgical
procedure being performed. The spacers 203 may represent the end of one
chamber and the beginning of a new chamber 202. The spacers may be
relatively small in width and/or may be as large as one inch or more. The
spacers may be rounded and smooth to the touch, or, may be cut precisely
to have a fine edge to avoid wasting excess materials.

[0019] During a surgical operation, any number of surgical instruments may
be positioned in the chambers 202 of the bracket 201. One example
configuration may include placing similar instruments in the same chamber
202 and using the different chambers to hold different instruments. There
is no limit on the number of instruments that may be placed in a single
chamber 202, however, provided that the instruments are positioned
securely and/or semi-upright and are accessible by the surgical
technician.

[0020] FIGS. 2B and 2C illustrate examples of the front and rear views of
a single chamber 202. In this example, the low point of the curve of the
surface of the chambers may vary in height from the front of the chamber
to the rear of the chamber (D1 vs. D2). The height of the rear portion
(D2) should be greater than the height of the front portion (D1) to
provide the proper angle and gravitational force to support a surgical
instrument. Although the illustrations are not drawn to scale, the
difference in height should be between 1/8 inch and 1/2 inch. The height
of D2 should be approximately the distance from the surgical instrument
base to the exterior surface of the surgical instrument finger holder (as
discussed in detail with reference to FIG. 6). This provides a way to
allow the surgical instrument to touch the surface of the table at more
than one place. In one example D2 is one inch and D1 is 1/2 inch. In
another example, D2 is 3/4 inch and D1 is still 1/2 inch.

[0021] The grooves 204 may vary in number and size. As illustrated in FIG.
2A, the grooves may be formed inside the chambers 202 and may include two
grooves per chamber. Alternatively, the grooves 204 may vary in size and
quantity, and may be as low as two per chamber and as many as a hundred
per chamber. The grooves 204 may be formed from the same material as the
bracket 201, or, alternatively, the grooves may be a different material
than the bracket 201.

[0022] Instead of grooves, the inside of the chambers 202 may have a
gripping surface, such as, gripping tape or a scored, rough surface, as
illustrated in FIG. 3B. Such a rough surface 303 would provide a
non-slipping surface for the surgical instruments to stay in a
substantially up-right position.

[0023] FIG. 3A illustrates a sideways perspective of a chamber, according
to example embodiments of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3A, a
chamber 302 includes four grooves 301, which may be used to support the
surgical instruments during a surgical operation. As noted above, the
number of grooves may vary and may be replaced by other forms of
non-slipping material.

[0024] FIG. 4 illustrates the bracket being used to support surgical
instruments. The surgical instruments may include, for example, needle
holders, Kellys, hemostats, towel clips, sponge sticks, Mayo scissors,
Metz scissors, Kocher clamps, right angle clamps, etc. All of these
instruments vary in length and purpose, however, most of these
instruments have a distance of 3/4 inch to 1 inch from the base to the
outside extremity of the finger socket (as discussed in FIG. 6A).

[0025] FIG. 4 illustrates three different surgical instruments 401-403 and
a total of six instruments being securely positioned in a single chamber.
In this example, like instruments are placed in common chambers.
Additional instruments may be placed in a single chamber depending on the
type of surgical operation. The distance of the chamber may be as short
as four inches and as long as fourteen inches. The number of chambers may
vary depending on the total length of the chamber.

[0026] The bracket may be approximately one inch in width. The number of
chambers in the bracket may vary according to length. For example, a 10
inch bracket may hold 0-12 instruments and may be have 5-10 chambers. In
another example, a bracket may be 14 inches long and may hold additional
instruments. In another example embodiment, the number of chambers and
the length of the bracket may be adjustable by a sliding mechanism that
allows the bracket to be expanded by sliding one side of the bracket out
from the other side to adjust the total number of chambers and the
overall size of the bracket.

[0027] The bracket may also be secured to the mayo stand or other surface
via an adhesive tape that is on the bottom of the bracket. The material
of the bracket may be plastic or a low cost material that is easily mass
produced. The bracket may be disposable and/or may be cleaned and
sterilized for additional uses.

[0028] FIG. 5 illustrates another example embodiment of the present
invention. Referring to FIG. 5, a suture tie rack 502 may be part of the
bracket. For instance, the suture tie rack 502 may be a substantially
flat surface that is molded or created as part of the bracket during a
manufacturing process of molding the bracket.

[0029] The suture tie rack 502 may have a breakable edge 505 that may be
bent and snapped-off of the portion of the suture tie rack that is
attached to the bracket. The suture tie rack has a plurality of slits
formed in each pair of suture tie holders 503, which conveniently hold
suture ties laid into position across the suture tie holders 503. The
suture ties 504A, 504B and 504C may be different sizes (gauges) and may
need to be organized and separated at the start of a surgical operation.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, the surgical instrument 501 is free from
obstruction and is not affected by the suture ties 504A, 504B and/or
504C, which are laid above the area of the chambers.

[0030] FIG. 6A illustrates an example measurement of a surgical instrument
from its base 601A to the outer portion of the finger socket 601B. During
a surgical procedure, the surgical instrument would be placed in the
chamber and the outer portion of the finger socket 601B would make
contact with the table to provide additional support for the instrument.
The distance D2 would preferably be between 3/4 inch and 1 inch as most
instruments have a comparable distance.

[0031] FIG. 6B illustrates the distance D2 being implemented on the rear
side of the chamber of the bracket. The surgical instrument would then
make contact with the table at the finger socket portion of the
instrument. As noted previously, the front side of the bracket and its
corresponding chamber would preferably be somewhat smaller than the
distance of the rear side of the bracket. The variation in distance from
the front side of the bracket to the rear side may be as small as 1/16 of
an inch to as large as 1/2 of an inch to provide support for the weight
of the surgical instrument.

[0032] While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been
described, it is to be understood that the embodiments described are
illustrative only and the scope of the invention is to be defined solely
by the appended claims when considered with a full range of equivalents
and modifications (e.g., protocols, hardware devices, software platforms
etc.) thereto.